Chargers draft J.J. Watt's brother Derek Watt

Texans star J.J. Watt shakes hands with his brother Derek before Wisconsin's game against LSU on Aug. 30, 2014 at NRG Stadium.

Texans star J.J. Watt shakes hands with his brother Derek before Wisconsin's game against LSU on Aug. 30, 2014 at NRG Stadium.

Photo: J. Patric Schneider, For The Chronicle

Photo: J. Patric Schneider, For The Chronicle

Image
1of/43

Caption

Close

Image 1 of 43

Texans star J.J. Watt shakes hands with his brother Derek before Wisconsin's game against LSU on Aug. 30, 2014 at NRG Stadium.

Texans star J.J. Watt shakes hands with his brother Derek before Wisconsin's game against LSU on Aug. 30, 2014 at NRG Stadium.

Photo: J. Patric Schneider, For The Chronicle

Chargers draft J.J. Watt's brother Derek Watt

1 / 43

Back to Gallery

The San Diego Chargers drafted Wisconsin fullback-tight end Derek Watt in the sixth round, acquiring the younger brother of Texans Pro Bowl defensive end J.J. Watt.

Derek Watt visited the Texans, a meeting that followed coach Bill O'Brien attending the Badgers' campus Pro Day workout.

"I think my brother is a very good football player," J.J. Watt said prior to the NFL draft. "I love watching him, he works his ass off, he’s very smart, he can do a lot of things from the fullback position, he can catch, he can block, he knows what he’s doing, he knows offenses well and I work out with him so I know how hard he works.

"He works extremely hard. It would be special. He got to play with my brother, my other brother in high school and in college, and I’m the one that never go to play with either of them. It would be cool. The opportunity to play against him would also be cool, might not be ideal for my mom or my family. I think either way he deserves a shot."

With 25 NFL teams attending his Pro Day, including the Texans' head coach and his older brother, Derek Watt ran the 40-yard dash in 4.69 seconds.

The 6-2, 234-pounder wasn't invited to the NFL scouting combine. For the Badgers, Watt operated in an H-back role. Primarily used as a blocker, he rushed for 45 yards on nine carries and caught 15 passes for 139 yards last season.

Among tight ends who attended the combine, Watt would have finished second in the 40-yard dash, tied for fifth in the vertical leap, eighth in the broad jump, tied for first in the 20-yard shuttled and tied for fourth in the bench press.

"The thing I’m most proud of he’s done it his way," J.J. Watt said. " It’d be easy for him to fall into the shadow of being – I mean I see it when I watch his games, they tag him right away as my brother. He could be upset about that but he goes out there and he works to make his own path and his own life, and I’m proud of him for that.”